BDSM is many different generally erotic tactics or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, along with other relevant interpersonal dynamics. Presented the wide selection of procedures, a number of which may be engaged in by people that usually do not contemplate on their own to become practising BDSM, inclusion within the BDSM community or subculture often is alleged to rely upon self-identification and shared practical experience.

The initialism BDSM is initially recorded in the Usenet submit from 1991, and it is interpreted as a combination of the abbreviations B/D (Bondage and Willpower), D/s (Dominance and submission), and S/M (Sadism and Masochism). BDSM is currently employed as being a capture-all phrase masking an array of activities, varieties of interpersonal associations, and distinct subcultures. BDSM communities frequently welcome everyone by using a non-normative streak who identifies Using the community; this may contain cross-dressers, physique modification fans, animal roleplayers, rubber fetishists, and Other folks.

Actions and interactions in BDSM are sometimes characterized with the participants' taking over roles which are complementary and contain inequality of electricity; thus, the concept of informed consent of equally the associates is crucial. The conditions submissive and dominant tend to be applied to distinguish these roles: the dominant lover ("dom") requires psychological Regulate more than the submissive ("sub"). The phrases top and bottom are utilized; the highest is the instigator of an motion while the bottom would be the receiver of the action. The two sets of conditions are subtly different: by way of example, anyone might opt to work as base to another particular person, one example is, by being whipped, purely recreationally, without any implication of currently being psychologically dominated, and submissives may very well be ordered to massage their dominant companions. Although the base carries out the motion and the best gets it, they have not always switched roles.

The abbreviations sub and dom are regularly applied in lieu of submissive and dominant. Occasionally the female-certain phrases mistress, domme, and dominatrix are utilised to explain a dominant girl, in place of the in some cases gender-neutral term dom. Individuals who change in between best/dominant and bottom/submissive roles—no matter whether from romance to marriage or inside of a provided romantic relationship—are named switches. The exact definition of roles and self-identification is a typical topic of debate among BDSM participants.